Technology Strategy Board launches '�ber KTN'

By IT section newsdesk

Published Monday, December 7, 2009

A UK government-backed body has been set up by the Technology Strategy Board to bring together business, academia, and government to drive technology innovation. Three existing knowledge transfer networks (KTNs) – Grid Computing Now!, Cyber Security, and Location and Timing – have merged.

The Digital Systems KTN is led by experts in distributed computing, online security, and satellite navigation, and will create links between organisations to address technology issues such as intelligent transport, Cloud Computing, smart metering, and mobile data access.

It will stimulate knowledge sharing and circumvent obstacles that prevent advances in technology, explains says Digital Systems KTN director Ian Osborne: “A successful digital society marries the need to access data on the move with a secure and scalable approach to gathering, processing, and using that information. We will create opportunities to innovate in this field by bringing people together; for example, there are many academics making exciting breakthroughs in new tech who do not have the contacts to make them a reality or innovators who need to be connected to funders.”

The Digital Systems Knowledge Transfer Network will host conferences and online meetings, provide members with guidance on funding sources and allow them influence on future policy decisions. The Digital Systems KTN is managed by Intellect, QinetiQ, and the National Physical Laboratory, who are jointly responsible for programmes of work in scalable computing (Ian Osborne), cyber security (Tony Dyhouse), and location and timing technologies (Bob Cockshott), respectively.